The indie rock genre has split into a plethora of spheres. The introspective lyrics and driving rhythms are standard qualities of an indie album. In essence, it has become a more mainstream style — and seemingly broken away from its narrow identity during the 2000s. It’s been a transformative period for the indie scene with many fine takeaways, but what it desperately lacked was an album elevating and fusing the classic identities of the indie albums from previous decades. And, at just 25 years of age, multi-instrumentalist and Asheville native MJ Lenderman has become as prolific as they come with four solo albums and another five as a member of his alternative rock band Wednesday. On his new record “Manning Fireworks,” Lenderman — with a solid mixture of jaunty punchlines and dreary slacker rock — drums up a catalog of gorgeous, little surprises.
In its entirety, “Manning Fireworks” is a bodacious, gratifying collection of songs. It comes armed with fuzzy, dynamic riffs and some of the most whimsical hooks on an indie record since Purple Mountains’ lone album, “Purple Mountains” released back in 2019. David Berman, frontman for Silver Jews and Purple Mountains, was noted for writing pointed abstract poetry on Americana and societal disillusionment. You could feel what he was trying to express through his free-spirited, stream-of-consciousness ideas. Lenderman writes similarly, with a slightly more comedic edge. Lines such as “Every day is a miracle/ Not to mention a threat/ Of bees nests nestled in a hole in the yard/ Of Travolta’s bald head” are simply deranged to read on a page. But, such words give an eye into the incredulous aphorisms within Lenderman’s brain. And more importantly, they fit the song’s, titled “On My Knees,” central theme of innocence. I don’t even know if it’s safe to call it wordplay or hysterical metaphors that, even more hysterically, rhyme so well.
Instrumentally, the record is immaculate. MJ Lenderman grounded his indie sound in a way that is grungy yet comprehensible. He has a fluffy rhythm guitar playing alongside a cleaner lead riff that carries the tone of each song. On a tune like “Wristwatch,” the merging of the dual guitar sounds is top-notch. Alongside the strings are a bright, fluttery keyboard and a cymbal-heavy drum lick. Lenderman does a stunning job of blending the noisiness and also the cleanliness of the rhythm section with every other instrument. It’s reminiscent of what singer-songwriter Bill Callahan (otherwise known by his band name, Smog) so spectacularly executes on with his 2000 indie record “Dongs of Sevotion.” Smog’s renditions are a bit more stripped down than Lenderman’s but are still a worthy counterpart. The body of a tune like “Distance” from “Dongs of Sevotion” with its twangy guitar riff and streamlined kick and drum pattern resembles the catchy instrumentation on the Lenderman track “Joker Lips.”
“Manning Fireworks” doesn’t shy away from dipping its nose into the weird side of the indie genre as well. The final song from the record, “Bark at the Moon,” while being a casual rock song in its initial two minutes, quickly transitions to being a dissonant noise rock opus radiating with power. At a runtime of ten minutes, its uninterrupted guitar feedback harkens back to the penultimate song “Less Than You Think” from Chicago-based rock band Wilco’s fifth studio album “A Ghost is Born.” Both bands value the aesthetics behind sheer nothingness — and in both instances it’s ingenious.
Lenderman’s voice is a fruitful topping to the already tremendous instrumentals. His voice carries the warmth of an alt-country and Americana rock timbre — awfully similar to an early 1990s Neil Young (think “Harvest Moon”). The maturity of Lenderman’s voice, considering his young age, is quite marvelous, as he successfully and seamlessly commands the mood of each track.
This year’s music scene has seen sprawling developments, ranging from a rise of pop anthems and the resurgence of rave music, but perhaps its most unsung renaissance is that of great indie rock. And undoubtedly, MJ Lenderman’s “Manning Fireworks” can be a catalyst for such a comeback. It’s a nine-song, 39 minute record of steamrolling indie tracks. It bears the qualities of any delightfully listenable piece of music one could pull from the shelf of the past quarter century of rock.
